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Daoism

DaoismDaoism or Taoism is a western religion. This religion states that every thing living and not living has a power flowing through it. The word dao means the way or the path; it is indefinable and Daoists say you have to experience it. One of the basic beliefs of Daoism is that there cannot be light without dark, no good without evil and no male without female. Daoism started as just psychology and a philosophy but in 440 A.D. it evolved into a state religion in China. In time it would become one of the three great religions of China.

Daoism is often related to Star Wars and it is said that George Lucus is a daoist. Throughout the two series of Star Wars, there are many references to Daoism. The “force” is probably the biggest give away that Star Wars is Daoistic. Obi-wan Kenobi, a Jedi knight says that “The Force is what gives the Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." In Star Wars the force is something that the Jedi have. Both good and bad Jedi have this force, which is another belief of Daoism. Use the Shaw 2

force, which is always flowing through them, controls things and moves objects and even uses mind tricks. Also in Star Wars Yoda talks about there being a balance in the force; he says that there has to be a dark side in order for there to be a light side. One needs the other to exist. In conclusion Star Wars is based on Daoism. We need to be careful when we watch Star Wars that we do not take everything literally. Having said that, I must add that Star Wars is an amazing set of movies and I recommend it to everyone.

Daoism originated in China before the 400s and is still a predominant religion there. It was started as philosophy and psychology but evolved into a religion after the 400s. Laozi was the original and the only philosopher of Daoism. Daoism had monks, or Jedi as I like to call them, which were put to work in the 1900s...

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...﻿Daoism in Chinese Society
DaoismDaoism came from Laozi (the Old Master) and Zhuangzi
The pair lived in a time of immense social disorder and religious skepticism.
They developed the notion of the Dao (way, or path) as the origin of all creation and the force (unknowable in its essence but observable in its manifestations) that lies behind the functions and changes of the natural world.
Daoism
Chinese religion “mirrors the social landscape of its adherents. There are as many meanings as there are vantage points.”
This can be very confusing to outsiders…
Daoism and Confucianism existed together. At various points in one life, you might follow either.
(There are many who only practice one)
Due to the social disorder of the time, the question was: what is the basis of a stable, unified, and enduring social order?
Their answer was the Dao.
Nature, after all, was much more stable than anything humans can create.
Healthy human life could flourish only in accordance with Dao. Nature, simplicity, a free-and-easy approach to life.
Daoism
To be skillful and creative, they had to have inner spiritual concentration and put aside concern with externals, such as monetary rewards, fame, and praise.
Artisans were typically very good at this idea.
When stressed, or seeking an escape, the Daoist might retire to the countryside, or mountains and write a poem or paint a picture....

...Confucianism and Daoism
Confucian and Daoist views were important for the shaping and development of mankind in the past. They were views that existed among the eastern Asian countries. They had both similarities and differences in the way they shaped out self-knowledge and self-cultivation. Also there was other outside forces that played a major role in their theories. Nature and art were said to have helped shape the human race as we know it.
Confucianism and Daoism seem to be complete polar opposites but there are some similarities between the two. One way that they are similar is that they both focus on the goal of self-improvement. Their teachings both agree that people are responsible for their personal life, individual development, and self improvement. "In Confucianism, a person improves himself or herself and is rewarded throughout one's existence in this world. In Daoism, a person achieves improvement through nature and the natural occurrences of the world around us and are rewarded in the next life."(Confucianism and Daoism)
When giving the differences between Confucianism and Daoism it is safe to say they are opposites. Therefore, their are many differences between the two. The main difference is that in Confucius teachings, the main concern was people's individual development. The belief in human relationships and an attitude of humaneness shaped one's self. Confucius came up with the...

...﻿University of Phoenix Material
Daoism Worksheet
Complete the following questions in detail. Answer each question with a 1- or 2-paragraph response that includes a reference citation. Make use of Experiencing the World’s Religions and other sources in your research as you complete the questions.
1. Describe the principles of yang and yin.
Yin and Yang is a fundamental concept in Chinese philosophy. According to it all things expist as inseparable and contradictory opposites like old and young, men and women, light and darkness, day and night, hot and cold, up and down. Both the opposites complement each other to portray wholeness. Neither is superior to other and in order to achieve harmony both sides must be equal.
Yin is stated to be feminine whereas yang is considered masculine.
2. The main scripture in Daoism is the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching). What is the history and importance of this text for the tradition?
Daodejing is considered to be as one of the world’s greatest books. It is accepted as the central scripture among Daoists. Because of its brevity and succinctness, it has a major influence on the Chinese culture. The book is considered to be written in 350BC. It has been found in many tombs which show ancient text which is slightly different to the one being used today. It has passages which focuses on things like reaching trance states and attaining invulnerability. It was considered to more political in nature, like a handbook...

...Daoism and Confucianism are two of China’s oldest and most pervasive philosophies. They arose during the same period in Chinese history, called the Hundred Schools of Thought, a time often marred by unrest and feudal strife. Both philosophies reflect this, as their overarching goals are to seek order and harmony in one’s life, relationship with society, and the universe.
Confucianism is a philosophy originated by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, which teaches that logic and reason can solve all human problems, and rejects excessive emotion and superstition. Confucianism also teaches that following the traditions of early Chinese culture is the best way to organize society. Traditional ritual, music and poetry are also seen as important tools in maintaining societal harmony. Confucius was concerned with matters of human relationships. His philosophy inspires scholars to take up civil service with the goal of building a society based upon their discernment of good and bad and to desire that which is judged to be good. The way of Confucius is to forge a moral society protected from the world. The main source of Confucian teaching is the Analects of Confucius.
Daoism on the other hand was started by Lao Tzu, and is mainly concerned with living a balanced life based on following Nature. Lau Tzu saw the natural world as a sort of teacher which could impart wisdom to mankind if we only observed it and modeled our lives on what we see in nature....

...Concepts of Confucianism and Daoism
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Abstract
Confucianism is seen or viewed as a way of achieving the full potential in persons thus attaining harmony in society and the world through moral cultivation. All Confucians share the conviction that it is possible to transform oneself and all of society through the cultivation of virtue. This paper therefore discusses various concept and assumptions of Confucianism mainly ren, xiao, li and yi and it also touches on Daoism.
Concepts of Confucianism and Daoism
Confucianism can be defined as a way of achieving the full potential of human life and attaining harmony in society and the world through moral self-cultivation. It is agreed among Confucian thinkers that the cultivation of moral virtues through which a person learns to be fully human is fundamental to human and social well-being. Confucius or Kong Zhongni was born in China where he was well known as Kong Fuzi and by the time he was growing up he personally experienced the poverty, political abuse and hardship that affected the lives of ordinary people. Confucius shared a belief that although the way of humans is established in the way of heaven and operates in harmony with the way of nature it is to the ideals and exemplars of the human way that we must turn to for guidance for the purpose...

...Philosophical Daoism and early Confucianism have very different views on the way we should live life. If I was to choose a path in life to follow it would be the Confucianist path. Confucianism is a lot more controlled then Daoism. Daoism focuses on wu-wei, which translated is non-action. Non-action means that the Daoists believe the best way to live life is to just go with the flow, and not interrupt the natural course of life. Looking at such perspectives on life only brings chaos to my mind, as a society with a “go with the flow” attitude could cause a lot of problems. Without rules, regulations, or rituals to follow I feel that people would take advantage of this and simply do whatever it is they wish to do. The Daoist text, Tao Te Ching, does not have specific rules to abide by. It preaches messages via stories on how to live, which are then interpreted into guidelines that the Daoists follow.
On the contrary, in Confucianism we are exposed to a way to live in order to achieve the good that is within all of us. Confucius believed that society was naturally good, but he felt that the society was getting corrupted with bad morals that focused on money, profit, and power (Lecture notes November 1,2011). In order to achieve the human goodness that we all have within us, and that we had in the past, he offered his followers two different choices to follow. The first choice involved education, which was accomplished through the...

...Confucianism versus Daoism: Responsibility
Two schools of thought that arise around the same time in Ancient China are Confucianism and Daoism. Each teaches that people have certain responsibilities; however, they teach different types of responsibility. Kungfuzi, or Confucius, argues that every person has a responsibility placed on his shoulders to help improve society in the here and now. While Lao Tzu, the originator of Daoism, believes that each person has a responsibility, he believes that that responsibility is in regards to oneself rather than society. He believes that a person must work within themselves to reach peace with their Selves and with nature. Reaching this peace is something that does not take effort to achieve. The contrast between the two schools of thought becomes narrowed down to the concept of action versus inaction to improve society. Because of these differences, we can see that Confucius regards humans as highly capable of working within their respective classes, but that Lao Tzu believes that humans must be at peace with nature in order to reach their full potential.
Confucius’ ideas arise only a short time before Lao Tzu explains his beliefs. According to the Confucian teachings, people are capable of being taught and changed as long as they are taught the right way. The things people should be taught are things such as being virtuous and acting on what they teach while also keeping a healthy sense...

...In ancient China, many different rulers tried to unify and rule the country using a variety of methods – Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism to name a few. Each philosophy had its own set of rules of how people should act both in public and privately. The overall goal of each philosophy was to set a standard of acceptable living that would ensure harmony and success for the society. However, each was different and thus had different results. The best way for the people of China to succeed in a harmonious, respectable society occurred when both Confucianism and Legalism were combined.
Confucianism resulted from a Chinese philosopher named Kongfuzi (551-479 B.C.E), also known as Confucius, becoming disheartened with the way the government ignored his ideas of how to create a just, harmonious society. His teachings, which he had passed on to his followers/students, include the Analects. It is within this document that he tried to teach men how to be gentlemen. If a man were able to follow the steps to becoming a gentleman and complete the duties of his status, that gentleman could influence others in society to be honorable, hard working, honest, and just. However, within Confucianism, class and gender was a huge factor. Women were often considered less important as were lower class peoples. Only the well off male members of society could receive the required education required to be a gentleman. An example of this is: “The Master said, A gentleman who is widely...